From Atheist to Catholic Nun

In this year of Mercy, I would like to introduce you to Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble and her story who like myself was an atheist and came to faith in Christ Jesus. However, she was a revert who came back after leaving the Church for 10 years.

She blogs on http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pursuedbytruth/ and is a member of the FSP order or Daughters of St. Paul.







She writes:

When I returned to the Church after ten years of being away, I did not walk through the doors and ask to go to confession.
Some people do this, but that was not my story.
When I first walked through the doors of a Catholic Church again, I was still an atheist, living with my boyfriend. One day, with little to do, I walked by a nearby church while Mass was going on inside.
I stayed. I have no idea why I stayed but I stayed.
And I went to Communion.
Perhaps I went out of a habit that was ingrained in me as a child. But when I think back to how I felt, I think the emptiness inside of me was screaming to be filled, and I felt intensely drawn to receive Jesus, like a deer thirsting for running water. Was it right? I have no idea. But at the time if someone had told me that I should not receive because I was in a possible state of mortal sin, I most likely would have walked right out of that church and never returned.
A year later, I was living for several months in Costa Rica. One day I felt a pull to attend Mass. I had no idea why. Before long, I started to go whenever Mass was held in the little rural town. The priest never questioned my fitness to receive Communion. He was always warm, joyful, and open with me, although I am sure he wondered what exactly was going on in my life.
I am thankful for that priest’s stance of respect for where I was at. If he had tried to lay down the law with me, I may have run and stayed away from the Church for another ten years. I was not ready to hear Church law from anyone. I hardly believed in Jesus, let alone the Catholic Church. I did not consider myself Catholic, and I certainly did not accept most of Church teaching on all the hot-button issues.
And yet, I felt drawn every time Mass was held in that little country church.
My story continues, and you can read more of it in my book that is coming out. But suffice it to say that I was attending Mass for an entire year before I went to confession. I don’t make excuses for myself. My soul was not in the proper state to be receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, but it took time for grace to work in me in order for me to realize this. Finally, in the same way I was drawn to Jesus in the Eucharist, one day I felt an overwhelming urge to go to confession.
The rest is history.

Sister's story is not uncommon.  Unfortunately, she has received some attacks by Catholics who feel conversion must happen in a specific manner.  These people are morons (with all due respect). Conversion happens how GOD wants it to happen.  Who the heck is anyone to dictate the process? In this year of Mercy, we must learn how to meet people where they are at; not judgement and work with them to show them the way as the Pope has reminded us numerous times. Each person is different and their path is not identical to ours. We cannot impose on others the path that God is guiding us on for He is already working the path out in those others.  

















Source:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pursuedbytruth/2016/02/from-atheist-to-nun-tips-for-joyfully-reaching-out-to-fallen-away-catholics.html

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pursuedbytruth/2014/10/gradualism-i-am-exhibit-a.html

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pursuedbytruth/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pursuedbytruth/2014/10/atheist-in-the-communion-line-a-follow-up-post.html

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2014/10/the-gradual-homecoming-of-sister-theresa-an-atheist-who-became-a-nun/

Lumen Fidei

Lumen Fidei is here!

Pope Francis' first Papal Encyclical completes a set of three initiated by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.  The encyclical is relatively short (4 chapters) and is a good read.  High school age children up to adults should have no problem with the text.

The Holy Father in the encyclical relates Faith to Light and how without light we cannot see or navigate in the world.  He uses instances in Scripture to highlight this.  Both Benedict XVI and Francis show us how faith is a primordial gift from God.  It expounds on our natural existence and allows us to see beyond the confines of the material state that we live in and which some perceive as the only existence.

Lumen Fidei criticizes the use of scientism, or the idea that every thing must be tested by scientific methods in order to be accepted as truth and credible.  The first chapter begins with the story of Abraham and his faith in God.  It explains how faith then was a precursor to faith in Christ.  The Hebrews were "traveling" to God, as it were.  Chapter 2 speaks on faith and truth and criticizes relativism.  Both faith and truth co-exist and are necessary for the human being.  Chapter 3 deals with faith within the Christian life and how it interacts with our sacramental lives in the Church.  Chapter 4 speaks on how faith helps not only the believer but society as a whole by promoting the common good.

In closing, Lumen Fidei is a powerful document and a perfect addition to the Year of Faith.  It shows the importance of faith and why we cannot let human advancements, scientism and the like to impede faith in our lives.  Without faith, we become cold and self-centered.  We become like dogs sniffing around for evidence in order to advance in thought and as a whole.  This is not what the human being is all about.    

I recommend all to read the encyclical, not just Catholics.  It will serve to increase your faith and will open your mind to it if you have been setting it aside.


To read the encyclical, go here: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20130629_enciclica-lumen-fidei_en.html 

The encyclical is also available in other languages. Just click on your language on the Vatican's website: www.vatican.va 


   

Lumen Fidei

It is finally here!  Pope Francis' first encyclical, "Lumen Fidei" will be published on July 5, 2013.  The encyclical was started by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and completed by his successor, Pope Francis.  It was planned for the Year of Faith and would have completed Pope Emeritus' previous encyclicals that are on love and hope - the two of the Theological Virtues.  Vatican spokesmen described this new encyclical as being short. 

I am looking forward to reading this new work of both Pope Emeritus and Pope Francis.


Check out this site for Papal Encyclicals: http://www.papalencyclicals.net



Source:
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-first-encyclical-lumen-fidei-to-be-pu

Man of Wood

The new Superman movie, "Man of Steel" is out and winning big at the box office.  Some people may not realize this, but this movie has many parallels to Jesus.

There are specific scenes with imagery that call to mind Jesus as Savior of the world.  One scene has Superman with his father over the Earth.  His father tells him that he can save them all.  Superman than stretches outward into a form of a Cross.

Warner Bros apparently intended for this movie to have this.  Superman is an allusion to Christ.  As most of us know, Superman is this alien from the planet Krypton.  This planet was destroyed by a supernova.  Superman was saved with the technology of his race and sent to Earth.  He is humanoid, but on Earth and with our Star, he is able to obtain superhuman powers.  As he matures on Earth after being found by a human couple, he learns who he is.  He then sets out to be mankind's "savior" by flying around fighting crime and saving people from all kinds of disasters.

Superman of course is fiction.  However, there is indeed a "Superman" who walked the Earth 2,000 years ago.  His name is Jesus the Christ.  Jesus, son of God and son of Mary was born 2,000 years ago to teach us and redeem us with His sacrifice on the Cross.  This one act opened the doors of grace so that man can achieve salvation through Jesus Christ by having faith and putting that faith to work.  Jesus did not leap tall buildings in a single bound, nor fly faster than a locomotive, but He healed the sick, restored life to the dead, and most importantly; loved us.

Jesus, The Man of the Wood of the Cross turned this wooden instrument of death into an instrument of life.  Jesus continues to work in the lives of those who trust in Him.  Jesus is the real Superman who is also the one and only Super God.

      

Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration

The Holy Father Pope Francis has just led the first ever global Eucharistic adoration!  At 11:00 AM EST time - 8:00 PM Rome time, Pope Francis initiated an event that would be happening simultaneously around the world in every diocese and every parish.  The universal Church was united in prayer before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Some speculate that this was originally Pope emeritus Benedict XIV's idea due to his induction of the Year of Faith for 2012-2013; however, Pope Francis may have planned this on his own.

This event will hopefully "re-energize" Catholics worldwide.  Adoration is extremely important.  Jesus left us Himself in the holy Eucharist.  He awaits us in the Tabernacle every day.  Hopefully this will also encourage parishes around the world to have adoration chapels so that people can come throughout the day to spend time with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.       

Source:

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/06/02/pope-leads-millions-in-worldwide-eucharistic-adoration/

A & P Catholics

We are in Holy Week.  An interesting phenomenon occurs I've noticed these past few years after leaving atheism for Catholicism.  I have noticed that on Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday, churches are packed beyond capacity. The amount of people in the church can bring a pastor to fear getting a summons from the fire department for overcrowding.

A&P Catholics

You are probably wondering what is an "A&P Catholic."  This is a term I've heard being used to describe Catholics who only attend Mass two times a year: Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday.  This is a serious problem for pastors throughout the globe, particularly in industrialized nations.  There are Catholics who do not attend Mass regularly and only show up on these two days.  

Why these two days?

Well, there are several theories out there that try to explain this:

• The Church gives out free things: Palms and Ashes
• There is a sense of superstition regarding Palms and Ashes
• Syncretism is manifesting itself publically
• The Precepts of the Church
• People are Lazy
• The public witness of the Ashes and Palm

The Church gives out free things: Palms and Ashes

Yes, it is true.  The Church does give out these items for free.  Anyone can enter and receive ashes or palms, no questions ask.  Human beings love to receive things.  There exists no human being on Earth who would not be tempted to get something for free.  Human beings change behavior when they are rewarded.  Perhaps this psychological cue is what draws lapsed Catholics back to Mass at least for these two days.

Solution:  

Pastors must explain what these sacramentals are in depth. 

Superstition

Unfortunately, some Catholics were not properly educated on the faith.  They adhere to all kinds of folkloric understanding of the religion.  There are some who believe the ashes or palms are good luck charms, or possess some kind of energy or magic.  While they are sacramentals, they themselves do not possess any magic or the like.  God works through them just as He works through any thing He has created.

Solution:

Pastors must be clear that sacramentals are not magic charms.

Religious Syncretism

This is another problem that has presented itself to the Church since its beginning.  There are those who blend rituals of Paganism with Catholicism.  Santeria and other folk religions often borrow Catholicism to enhance their rituals.  

Solution:
Pastors and other Catholics must evangelize these people.  They must teach them that once you have Christ, you do not need anyone or anything else.  Santeria and voodoo rituals are placebos.  These people must be shown the power of prayer.

Precepts of the Church 
The precepts of the Church, or commandments are specific rules all Catholics must adhere to.  One of these rule states that Catholic must receive Holy Communion during the Easter season or once a year. This might not have been explained well and A&P Catholics literally only attend Mass during this time.

Solution:
Pastors must take advantage of their presence and explain the importance of attending Mass every Sunday and holy days of obligation.

People are Lazy
Yes, people can be lazy.  They generally do not want to do anything that does not reward them in return.  Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday offer "rewards," so to speak; so they come.

Solution:
Pastors must be patient with these people.  They must not use the homily to criticize or speak sarcastically to a packed church.  If a pastor does this, rest assured the people will not return.  These Catholics must be made to feel at home, if you will.  They must be seen as distant relatives who we do not see often and now have decided to visit us. We must welcome them with open arms!
There is no greater feeling than that of feeling welcomed.  Some parishes have greeters who greet people as the enter, this can be used to promote the regular attendance of A&P Catholics.  Other parishes offer breakfast after Mass.  This is another great time to get to know these lapsed Catholics and make them feel at home.  Who opens their door to strangers for breakfast?  The mere fact that these people can walk into a hall and have breakfast shows the Church is open to them and friendly. This send a clear message to them.  It is also a great opportunity to start conversation and listen to why they do not attend regularly and pastor to them.  

The Public Witness
One of the reasons we use Ashes and Palms is for public witness.  We want to show the world what Christ is all about.  Walking around with ashes or palms will definitely draw attention and inquirers. This most likely triggers the memories of lapse Catholics who might remember attending Mass and receiving ashes and palms.  They then only return for those days.

Solution:
Catholics must take the time to evangelize.  They should be able to give a reason behind the ashes on their foreheads or palms in their hands.  A great explanation with love and affection can go a long way.


Let us all take this moment to evangelize to our brothers and sisters.  This can only be done with our by showing our faith and hope via our love. 

"The Fallacy of Faith" Critique

It has come to my attention that the atheist caricature account on twitter known as "RosaRubicondior" posted a blog post entitled "The Fallacy of Faith."  

After reading the blog post I felt the need to critique the straw man argument proposed there against Faith.  

The blog post runs on the premise that Faith is a fallacy.  The author then begins to erroneously label what Faith means to particular religions of the world.

My comments are in black and the original blog content is in blue:


////Faith: The thing held most dearly and proudly by the ‘faithful’; the means by which the ‘faithful’ know things without evidence; the means by which no evidence is needed to believe in a god, the nature of gods, and that the things attributed to gods were indeed performed by them.///

Sacerdotus replies:

Faith is not "knowing things without evidence."  This is a misinterpretation of Faith.  Evidence is indeed needed in order for one to have Faith.  In the Old Testament, God used miracles and acts of justice in order to show the Jews and others that He was indeed God.  

Jesus in the New Testament speaks with authority and backs up that authority by performing miracles.  Furthermore, the Apostles did miracles in Jesus' name which attracted the masses to join Christianity.  These miracles served as the evidence needed to build up Faith in a people who lacked it.  This idea that people just believe without any evidence or knowledge is unfounded and shows Rosa's ignorance. 

////Faith: The knowledge of things not seen.
For a Christian, faith is the means by which they know with complete confidence that there is a god and a heaven and the ONLY way to get to Heaven is by acceptance of God’s son, Jesus and by following his teaching as revealed in the Bible which faith tells them was unquestionably either dictated by or at least inspired by the god in Heaven.////

Sacerdotus replies:

This understanding of faith is only applicable to those who subscribe to the Sola Fide theology.  This theology which comes from reformer Martin Luther has been shown to be a misinterpretation of Scripture.  The idea cannot stand on its own.  

Rosa commits a big error by grouping all Christians under the theology of Sola Fide.  It seems that Rosa is not aware that Christianity is NOT Protestantism.  The One and Only True Christian Church of Christ is the Catholic Church headed by Pope Benedict XVI.  Other denominations are man made institutions that distort the original teachings of the Catholic Church.  Some are losing Christian identity today due to the watering down of doctrine.    

///Faith is also the means by which Christians know with absolute confidence that all the other religions are wrong.//

Sacerdotus replies:

This is another misinterpretation of what Christians believe.  The Catholic Church teaches that other religions have truth to them.  

843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."332 -Catechism of the Catholic Church

856 The missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who do not yet accept the Gospel.359 Believers can profit from this dialogue by learning to appreciate better "those elements of truth and grace which are found among peoples, and which are, as it were, a secret presence of God."360 They proclaim the Good News to those who do not know it, in order to consolidate, complete, and raise up the truth and the goodness that God has distributed among men and nations, and to purify them from error and evil "for the glory of God, the confusion of the demon, and the happiness of man."361 -Catechism of the Catholic Church

Perhaps Rosa is referring to fundamentalists who feel they are the sole possessors of the Truth.  These same individuals attack the Catholic Church and other Protestant denominations.  Again, Rosa makes a big error in reasoning by grouping all Christians under the umbrella of fundamentalism.  This shows Rosa to be extremely uneducated.


///For a Moslem, faith is the means by which they know with complete confidence that there is a god and a heaven and the ONLY way to get to Heaven is by acceptance that Mohammed was the last prophet of that god and wrote a book with clear and concise instructions which must be followed without question.
Faith is also the means by which Moslems know with absolute confidence that all the other religions are wrong.
For a Jew, faith is the means by which they know with complete confidence that there is a god and a heaven and the ONLY way to get to Heaven is by following the laws and rules as revealed by God to Moses, Elijah and other prophets and which include strict dietary rules, dress codes and observance of special days when life is lived differently to normal days.

Faith is also the means by which Jews know with absolute confidence that all the other religions are wrong.
For a Sikh... but you’re probably getting bored by now and have recognised a pattern here. ///

Sacerdotus replies:

I cannot speak for Muslims, Jews or Sikhs, but do have many friends who are members of Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.  To my knowledge, their idea of faith is the same to that of the Catholic Church.  This is why the Catholic Church can hold inter-religious dialog and prayer services with them and others.

What Rosa writes here is a bare assertion fallacy.  Rosa views religion based on whatever experience Rosa had with a particular member of each specific religion.  This kind of reasoning is flawed.




///But hold on! If faith is telling different people completely contradictory things and leading them to mutually exclusive conclusions, how can it be the sure and certain way to know the truth?
Clearly it can’t, so what good is faith as a measure of physical reality, or even of mystical ‘transcendent reality’?///

Sacerdotus replies:

Rosa is confusing the different applications given to the word 'faith.'   The word can be used to describe a virtue and can describe a particular collection of beliefs.  Rosa's reasoning is flawed here in claiming that if faith tells people contradictory things, then faith is not true.  The problem here is not faith, nor the different religious faiths, but the false application of the word Rosa gives.  All believers have faith.  There is nothing contradictory about this.  However, there are differences in religious faiths, or beliefs.

////Let’s do a little mind experiment.
Imagine you’re the unfortunate victim of mistaken identity and find yourself in a court of law, charged with some offence or other of which you are completely innocent. Your defence team has brought in expert witnesses who have presented undeniable scientific evidence showing that, not only could you not have committed the crime, but you weren’t even in the same town at the time the offence was committed.

Well, that’s just about clinched it, hasn’t it? Innocence proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. Case dismissed! Phew! I expect you’re wondering why you were ever prosecuted in the first place. And you WOULD be so acquitted in a society in which guilt or innocence is decided by a rational examination of evidence and logically deduced conclusions from that examination.

Imagine now you live in a society which holds that faith is a superior form of knowledge; that faith is a sure and certain way to determine the truth. So sure and certain in fact that evidence is regarded as inferior and not to be trusted, especially when it contradicts faith; a society which is, in fact, founded on good Christian, Islamic and/or Jewish principles; principles which were used to justify the society having that form in the first place. A society founded on the faith of the faithful.

The prosecution have put up a witness who has sworn on a holy book that he has faith that you are guilty. He freely admits he has no evidence but explains that his faith is strong; he has no doubt at all that you are guilty because this has been revealed to him by faith. Since faith is superior to evidence as a measure of reality, the jury should ignore the defence evidence and go with faith. In fact, he argues, it would show a lack of faith amounting to heresy to believe mere scientific evidence in the face of strong faith. So weak is mere evidence compared to faith that he did not look for it nor at the defence evidence. He had no need. His faith is strong.  The jury should understand, as good followers of the faith, that all the so-called defence 'evidence' shows is just how misleading science is and why it should not be trusted... and anyone who doesn't see that is showing suspiciously heretical arrogance and is betraying the oath they swore when they entered the jury box...

Who would you want the jury to believe?///

Sacerdotus replies:

This "mind experiment" is not well thought out.  The presentation of witnesses and "undeniable scientific evidence" does not mean automatic acquittal of a crime.  There have been cases where the aforementioned have been presented and the defense team lost.  A good example is the OJ. Simpson case in the early 1990's.  Disgraced former football player, Oriental Jones was charged with murdering his wife and her friend with a knife.  Evidence and witness testimony was given.  The famous "glove" was even presented which fit OJ's hand, and yet he was acquitted of the charges.  

What determines any case in any courtroom is not the evidence or witnesses per se, but the faith in those witnesses and evidence.  In other words, are they trustworthy?   An attorney's job is to make a case that is believable - even if the one being defended is indeed guilty of a crime.  Hence, this is why lawyers are labeled as "professional liars."  They need to present whatever evidence they have in a way that will be credulous and exonerate their client.    

////Suddenly faith is not so reliable after all. Faith can lead to completely wrong conclusions. Faith can convict the innocent and free the guilty. Faith can lead to wrong being mistaken for right.
Faith can lead the faithful to convict those with the 'wrong' faith of being unfaithful...

That’s why the same process of faith leads Christians, Jews, Moslems, Sikhs, and all the other religions, and every different sect to conclude that they, and they alone, are right and all the others are wrong.

Faith is a trap set to catch the unwary. It was invented by religious leaders because they had no evidence. Had they had real evidence, you can be sure they would be forever trumpetting that fact and citing it at every opportunity. Children the world over would be herded in droves to see this wonderful evidence. "There's your reason to believe", the priests would shout. "You don't need 'faith'! We have the evidence!"///

Sacerdotus replies:

Again, Rosa's own "mind experiment" does not take into account that any evidence presented in a court of law must be credible.  The judge and jury must have faith that the evidence presents truth.  Both sides can use the same evidence against each other, so who is correct?  

Again, the jury must decide based on which one is more believable.  

Rosa's understanding of Faith is what is not reliable.  The definition Rosa presents is a straw man and this is why Rosa can come up with the conclusion that faith is useless and brings about all kinds of religious divisions and claims of superiority.  

Faith was not invented by any religious leader.  It is instilled in us all.  We all have faith.  Infants have faith that the one caring for him/her is benevolent.  Teens have faith that their teachers are teaching them facts.  Rosa and those who subscribe to Scientism have faith that the data presented is accurate.  

////Faith is not a virtue; faith is unquestioning obedience to dogma, and that is a sin. (Tweet this)
To believe through faith alone is to make the assumption that something MUST be true just because you believe it. The arrogance of that belief would be breathtaking if the notion of faith had not poisoned our culture to the extent that this arrogance is considered an admirable quality; that being ‘faithful’ is assumed to equate to being good.

Faith is the trick by which the unscrupulous control the credulous and gullible, and make people ashamed and guilty for having doubt and asking questions.

Faith is the means by which Jewish, Islamic, Christian and other religion’s clerics and theologians have sought to exercise control and hold back human cultural, ethical and scientific development to a level it attained in the Bronze Age, at the nomadic pastoralist stage, when the myths and superstitions were first written down.

Faith is the means by which charlatans seek to prevent us asking the questions and accepting the answers which would break their grip on society.

Faith is the mind-numbing toxin of the religion parasite, in all it's different varieties. (Tweet this)

Do not have faith in faith for that way leads to insanity.////

Sacerdotus replies:

Rosa goes on a rant here against what Rosa thinks is faith.  Had Rosa done more research, this confusion would not have taken place and Rosa would not have written this straw man laced post.  In reality, we all use faith!  Scientifically speaking, we never truly perceive things.  What we perceive are the fields around it.  These fields give off charges that our nervous system interprets as hard, soft, squishy, hot, cold, warm, etc.  Our brains "lie" to us constantly.  The way you are reading this post now or see the outside of a window is not how our eyes sees them exactly.  Our brains reconstruct light stimuli in a way that is recognizable.  

It is very easy to confuse the brain.  Our brains take things on faith.  

Rosa is obviously not well read in science otherwise this assertion that faith is useless would not have been made.  Once again Rosa has demonstrated atheism to be nothing more than sophism presented as reason.   

As the great thinker and former Atheist G.K. Chesterton wrote:  

“Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all.”

"I give up..."

There was once a little boy named Thomas. He grew up watching baseball with his dad and wanted to be a player when he got older. When he was old enough, his dad took him to Yankee Stadium where he saw his favorite Yankee players. Derek Jeter was his favorite one.




"Oh that Jeter, he is awesome, right dad!?" Said Thomas.




"Yes son, he is one of the greatest players today - and you see over there son?" says his dad as he points to monument park.




"Derek Jeter's number 2 will be retired there some day and he will be up there with the Babe #3, The Iron Horse Gehrig #4, The Clipper DiMaggio #5, The Commerce Comet Mantle #7, Chairman of the Board Ford #16 and all the others."




Thomas looks up at his dad with great joy and smiles. The game begins. Jeter is up at bat. Detroit's Verlander is on the mount. He pitches, Jeter swings.

"Strikkkkeeee!!!" yells the umpire.

Jeter collects himself, gets ready for the next pitch.

"Strikkkee"

Jeter is calm as usual, Verlander pitches again.

"Striikkker yurr outtt.."

Jeter slighty smiles and walks back to the dugout. Third inning comes, Jeter is up to bat again and the same,

"strikkkee"

"strikkkeee"

"strikkkee"

"yerrr outtt!"

The pattern continues straight into the 7th inning. The Yankees are down by 7. Thomas is sad. The joy he had when he entered the House that Ruth built is no longer present.




"Dad?"  Thomas calls out,




"What is it son? asks the dad.

"What is wrong with Jeter? He is so good, he passed Gehrig's record for most hits. He is an awesome shortstop. But now he is just not hitting." Thomas complains.




His dad looks at him and says, "he is just going through a slump, don't worry son." Thomas sighs.




The Yankees catch up with 6 and Detroit has 7. It is the 9th inning and Jeter is up, there are 2 outs. Detroit's closer Valverde is on the mount.




The crowd at the stadium is shouting

"Derek Jeter" and claping with rhyme: Clap clap clap-clap-clap. "Derek Jeter!" Clap clap clap-clap-clap.

Valverde pitches, Jeter swings.

"Strikkee..."

The crowd gets anxious now for there are 2 outs and Jeter has his first strike. Jeter gathers himself again. His face seems annoyed, perhaps disappointed at himself. Valverdi winds up and pitches. Jeter eyes the ball and swings,

"strikkeee.."

The crowd gets upset, some boo, but others continue to cheer for Jeter to get one of his "Jeterian hits." Jeter is down by 2 strikes, one more and the game is lost.




Valverdi gets ready, checks first base and then pitches. Jeter looks and bammmm, he hit the ball. Jeter drops the bat and begins to run towards first base, but the ball is caught by Peralta and that's it. Game over!




Thomas slams his glove and shouts, "I give up!  I hate this!  Jeter is no good. I hate baseball. Jeter's poor playing ruined it for me dad!  I don't want to watch or play baseball again."




His dad looks at him with a smile of concern. "Relax Thomas, this is just one game and Jeter is just one player. He is in a slump and will come around. You can't bring down baseball just for the bad performance of one player."

This is a story I just made up - a modern parable if you will.  Thomas is named as such for "doubting Thomas" of the Gospels.  The moral of this story is that one bad player does not bring down the game of baseball.  Baseball has a lot of great history and many great players.

Similarly, one bad priest, one bad nun, one bad lay person or just one misbehaving Christian or person of faith does not bring down or tarnish the Catholic Church or any religion.

Don't be like Thomas and doubt.  Never give up!

USCCB General Assembly - 2012 November

The Catholic bishops of the United States of America are meeting this week in their annual General Assembly.  This year, the bishop are engaging on a wide variety of topics all focusing on the new evangelization.  With the election in the past, the bishops now see that a lot has to be done.  The United States of America is changing.  The new challenges must be met head on.

May the Holy Spirit guide our bishops and instill in them the wisdom, knowledge  and courage to face the problems of today and tomorrow.

Cardinal Dolan spoke eloquently in his address:

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York,
president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
Address given at the USCCB General Assembly Fall meeting on November 12, 2012.

My brother bishops, 

Yes, we have "a lot on our plate" as we commence our meeting, urgent issues very worthy of our solicitude as pastors -- the suffering in vast areas not far from here caused by the Hurricane of two weeks ago, the imperative to the New Evangelization, the invitation offered by the Year of Faith, and our continued dialogue, engagement, and prophetic challenge to our culture over urgent issues such as the protection of human life, the defense of marriage, the promotion of human dignity in the lives of the poor, the immigrant, those in danger from war and persecution throughout the world, and our continued efforts to defend our first and most cherished freedom -- all issues calling for our renewed and enthusiastic commitment.

But I stand before you this morning to say simply: first things first. We gather as disciples of, as friends of, as believers in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, "the Way, the Truth and the Life," who exhorted us to "seek first the Kingdom of God."

We cannot engage culture unless we let Him first engage us; we cannot dialogue with others unless we first dialogue with Him; we cannot challenge unless we first let Him challenge us.

The Venerable Servant of God, Fulton J. Sheen, once commented, "The first word of Jesus in the Gospel was 'come'; the last word of Jesus was 'go'."

Fifty years ago, on October 11, 1962, Blessed John XXIII courageously convened the Second Vatican Council "the greatest concern of which," he insisted, "is that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously." (Allocution on the occasion of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Gaudet mater ecclesia).

We gather for our plenary assembly in our nation's premiere see, at the close of the XIII Ordinary General Synod of Bishops, still near the beginning of the Year of Faith. Both occasions have the same origin, the same goal expressed by Blessed John XXIII: the effective transmission of the faith for the transformation of the world.

A year ago we began our visits ad limina Petri et Pauli. I know you join me in expressing deep gratitude for the extraordinary affection, warmth and fraternal care with which our Holy Father welcomed us.

But Pope Benedict did not stop with his gracious hospitality. No. He also gave us plenty of fatherly advice -- for our ministry as pastors of the Church and our personal role in the New Evangelization.

Here's an especially striking example from his first ad limina address: "Evangelization," the Successor of St. Peter noted, ". . . appears not simply a task to be undertaken ad extra; we ourselves are the first to need re-evangelization. As with all spiritual crises, whether of individuals or communities, we know that the ultimate answer can only be born of a searching, critical and ongoing self-assessment and conversion in the light of Christ's truth."

As we bishops at the just concluded Synod of Bishops confessed in our closing message:

"We, however, should never think that the new evangelization does not concern us as Bishops personally. In these days voices among the Bishops were raised to recall that the Church must first of all heed the Word before she can evangelize the world. The invitation to evangelize becomes a call to conversion."

"We Bishops firmly believe that we must convert ourselves first to the power of Jesus Christ who alone can make all things new, above all our poor existence. With humility we must recognize that the poverty and weaknesses of Jesus' disciples, especially us, his ministers, weigh on the credibility of the mission. We are certainly aware – we bishops first of all – that we can never really be equal to the Lord's calling and mandate to proclaim His Gospel to the nations. We… do not hesitate to recognize our personal sins. We are, however, also convinced that the Lord's Spirit is capable of renewing His Church and rendering her garment resplendent if we let Him mold us."(Final Message of the Synod of Bishops to the People of God, October 28, 2012)

The New Evangelization reminds us that the very agents of evangelization – you and me -- will never achieve that abundant harvest Blessed John XXIII described unless we are willing and eager to first be evangelized themselves. Only those themselves first evangelized can then evangelize. As St. Bernard put it so well, "If you want to be a channel, you must first be a reservoir."

I would suggest this morning that this reservoir of our lives and ministry, when it comes especially to the New Evangelization, must first be filled with the spirit of interior conversion born of our own renewal. That's the way we become channels of a truly effective transformation of the world, through our own witness of a penitential heart, and our own full embrace of the Sacrament of Penance.

II.

"To believers also the Church must ever preach faith and penance," declared the council fathers in the very first of the documents to appear, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. (SC, n. 9)

​To be sure, the sacraments of initiation - - Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist - - charge, challenge, and equip the agents of evangelization. Without those sacraments, we remain isolated, unredeemed, timid and unfed.

​But, the Sacrament of Reconciliation evangelizes the evangelizers, as it brings us sacramentally into contact with Jesus, who calls us to conversion of heart, and allows us to answer his invitation to repentance -- a repentance from within that can then transform the world without.

​What an irony that despite the call of the Second Vatican Council for a renewal of the Sacrament of Penance, what we got instead was its near disappearance.

​We became very good in the years following the Council in calling for the reform of structures, systems, institutions, and people other than ourselves.That, too, is important; it can transform our society and world. But did we fail along the way to realize that in no way can the New Evangelization be reduced to a program, a process, or a call to structural reform; that it is first and foremost a deeply personal conversion within? "The Kingdom of God is within," as Jesus taught.

​The premier answer to the question "What's wrong with the world?" "what's wrong with the church?" is not politics, the economy, secularism, sectarianism, globalization or global warming . . .none of these, as significant as they are. As Chesterton wrote, "The answer to the question 'What's wrong with the world?' is just two words:'I am,'"

​I am! Admitting that leads to conversion of heart and repentance, the marrow of the Gospel-invitation. I remember the insightful words of a holy priest well known to many of us from his long apostolate to priests and seminarians in Rome, Monsignor Charles Elmer, wondering aloud from time to time if, following the close of the Council, we had sadly become a Church that forgot how to kneel.If we want the New Evangelization to work, it starts on our knees.

Remember a few years back, when Cardinal Cahal Daly led us in our June retreat? Speaking somberly of the Church in his home country, he observed, "The Church in Ireland is in the dirt on her knees." Then he paused, and concluded, "Maybe that's where the Church is at her best."

We kneel in the Sacrament of Penance because we are profoundly sorry for our faults and our sins, serious obstacles to the New Evangelization. But then we stand forgiven, resolute to return to the work entrusted to us - as evangelizers of the Gospel of Mercy.

I recall a conversation about a year ago with one of our brother bishops, newly ordained, attending his first plenary assembly. I asked his impressions of the meeting. "Well organized, informative, enjoyable," he replied, but he went on to observe that it was one moment in particular that had the greatest impact on him. It was during our closing Holy Hour, as he entered the large room next to the chapel, to see dozens and dozens of bishops lined up to approach the Sacrament of Penance. This new Bishop told me that he felt that moment had more of an influence upon him than anything else at the meeting.

Who can forget the prophetic words of repentance from Blessed John Paul II, during the Great Jubilee, as he expressed contrition – publically and repeatedly - for the sins of the past? He mentioned the shame of the slave trade, the horrors of the holocaust, the death and destruction wrought by the crusades, the injustices of the conquest of the new world, and the violence of religious wars, to name only a few.

I remember during the celebration of the 50^thInternational Eucharistic Congress in Ireland last June, when Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Papal Legate, expressed this so forcefully as he spoke on behalf of the Holy Father at the penitential shrine of St. Patrick's Purgatory: "I come here with the specific intention of seeking forgiveness, from God and from the victims, for the grave sin of sexual abuse of children by clerics. . . In the name of the Church, I apologize once again to the victims, some of which I have met here in Lough Derg."

And so it turns to us, my brothers. How will we make the Year of Faith a time to renew the Sacrament of Penance, in our own loves and in the lives of our beloved people whom we serve? Once again, we will later this week approach the Sacrament of Penance.

And we'll have the opportunity during this meeting to approve a simple pastoral invitation to all our faithful to join us in renewing our appreciation for and use of the Sacrament. We will "Keep the Light On" during the upcoming Advent Season!

The work of our Conference during the coming year includes reflections on re-embracing Friday as a particular day of penance, including the possible re-institution of abstinence on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent. Our pastoral plan offers numerous resources for catechesis on the Sacrament of Penance, and the manifold graces that come to us from the frequent use of confession. Next June we will gather in a special assembly as brother bishops to pray and reflect on the mission entrusted to us by the Church, including our witness to personal conversion in Jesus Christ, and so to the New Evangelization.

We work at giving our people good examples of humble, repentant pastors, aware of our own personal and corporate sins, constantly responding to the call of Jesus to interior conversion. Remember the Curé of Ars? When a concerned group of his worried supporters came to him with a stinging protest letter from a number of parishioners, demanding the bishop to remove John Vianney as their curé, claiming he was a sinner, ignorant, and awkward, St. John Vianney took the letter, read it carefully ... and signed the petition!

III.

As I began my talk this morning, my brothers, so I would like to end it, with Blessed John XXIII.

It was the Sunday angelus of October 28, 1962.The message the Holy Father delivered on that bright Roman afternoon never even mentions the phrase New Evangelization.But it strikes right at the heart of the mission entrusted to each of us as shepherds.

"I feel something touching my spirit that leads to serenity," Good Pope John remarked. "The word of the Gospel is not silent.It resonates from one end of the world to the other, and finds the way of the heart. Dangers and sorrows, human prudence and wisdom, everything needs to dissolve into a song of love, into a renewed invitation, pleading all to desire and wish for the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ. A kingdom of truth and life; a kingdom of holiness and grace; a kingdom of justice, love and peace."

How could we not see it alive in those holy men and women of every time and place, the heroic evangelizers of our faith, including most recently St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Marianne Cope?

We have beheld it in the Church's unrelenting corporal and spiritual works of mercy, in the heroic witness of persecuted Christians, in the Church's defense of unborn human life, the care of our elders and the terminally ill, advocacy for the unemployed, those in poverty, our immigrant brothers and sisters, victims of terror and violence throughout our world, of all faiths and creeds, and in our defense of religious freedom, marriage and family.

And, I have suggested today, that as we "come and go" in response to the invitation of Jesus, we begin with the Sacrament of Penance.This is the sacrament of the New Evangelization, for as Pope Benedict reminds us, "We cannot speak about the new evangelization without a sincere desire to conversion." (Homily for the Opening of the XIII Ordinary General Synod of Bishops).

With this as my presidential address, I know I risk the criticism. I can hear it now: "With all the controversies and urgent matters for the Church, Dolan spoke of conversion of heart through the Sacrament of Penance. Can you believe it?" 

To which I reply, "You better believe it!" 

First things first!  - http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/usccb-general-assembly/2012-november-meeting/presidential-address-cardinal-dolan.cfm

New Catholic Blog

I've created a new Catholic Blog and am looking for faithful, zealous orthodox Catholics (clergy, lay, religious) convert/revert to co-author blog posts on it.  

This blog is a place to share the faith, personal testimony, prayers, poems, apologetics, evangelization, ideas to promote the faith, and questions all geared to celebrate this Year of Faith.  

If interested, please contact me Email me  

Year of Faith 2012

Today, October 11th is the first day of the Year of Faith.   It is also the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Church asks all Catholics to deepen their faith during this year.  Prayer, frequent use of the Sacraments, Mass, the Rosary, the reading of Sacred Scripture and the Catechism should be part of a daily routine.  The reading of other materials that promote orthodox Catholicism should be used as well such as books on spirituality, apologetics, philosophy, theology and the like.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI wants to counter the secularism that is poisoning society.  Atheism and Humanism are spreading in schools and governments.  Our youth are being pontificated to and pushed away from faith with ideas that seem to be rational and sound interesting.  They are taught confusing ideas regarding God, religion, personhood, government, and politics.  

Youth are entering college as believers and leaving it as Atheists.  This is due to the poor catechesis they received.  When a tree does not have strong roots, it will die.  Our youth must be taught the Faith well so they will be able to hold on to it and defend it against any philosophies and ideologies that challenge it.

Atheism and other ideas are presented as academic and an alternative to the "superstitions" of man, as they call religion.  When the youth are not grounded well in faith, they begin to accept whatever is pontificated to them.   Atheism to them seems truthful and invincible.  In reality, Atheism is merely fallacious rhetoric which bases itself on speculative reasoning.

All Catholics should learn their faith or relearn it well.  They should be able to provide a reason for the hope that is in them as St. Peter the first Pope tells us in Scripture.

Let us take this year to grow in Faith and return the challenge to Atheism, Humanism, Pro-abortion, Moral Relativism, Hedonism, Homosexuality etc.

        











For more information see:

http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/

http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html

Year of Faith Plenary Indulgence

The Vatican has just announced that a plenary indulgence will be applied to the year of Faith.  A plenary indulgence is the remission of all temporal punishment and suffering due to sin.

What is an indulgence?
"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."81
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin."82 The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.83

- http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm


See here on the requirements to obtain a plenary indulgence:  http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/indulgences_conditions.htm

 

Source:

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/vatican-announces-plenary-indulgence-for-year-of-faith/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Plans for the Year of Faith

The Vatican has announced its plans for the Year of Faith which begins on October 11, 2012 and ends on November 24, 2013.  This year will also mark the 50th anniversary of the Vatican II council and 20th anniversary of the publication of the new Catechism.

Many events will take place in Rome to celebrate this year.  A bishop's synod will take place which will discuss new evangelization efforts.  Seminarians and religious will celebrate in Rome on July 7 and on Pentecost the many Catholic movements will unite.  Eucharistic adoration will be taking place on a global scale on Corpus Christi.

This will be an exciting year.  All Catholics should take this time to grow in faith.  Pray, receive the Sacraments regularly, study the faith and how to present it to those who do not believe and to those who believe differently.

The official site is:  http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html
  


Source:

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=14701&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CatholicWorldNewsFeatureStories+%28Catholic+World+News+%28on+CatholicCulture.org%29%29

http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html

http://www.visnews-en.blogspot.com/2012/06/presentation-of-year-of-faith.html